Last Man Standing - Graham Onions Gives His Views

March 3, 2010 - PRLog -- The score is 280-9 with eleven balls remaining and the only man between South Africa and victory in the third Test against England is Graham Onions. His Woodworm bat may have been described as the “best in the dressing room”, but England would have preferred anyone other than Onions, with a batting average of ten, to edge them over the line. He takes guard, his helmet appearing ill-fitting as they seem to do on all tail-enders.

Twenty-two yards away from him is the six foot six Morkel, and awaiting him at the other end is the best fast bowler in the world, Dale Steyn. Fingernails are chewed in living rooms across the UK and pulses rise to uncomfortable levels, but somehow the gutsy Durham man leaves, blocks and ducks his way to the final ball. It’s Morkel versus Onions. England’s hopes resting solely on the shoulders of one man. Calm and collected Onions leaves the delivery. England escape with a draw and, for the second time in three games, it is all thanks to him. He punches the air in the direction of his colleagues and, presumably, breathes a huge sigh of relief.

Graham Onions had an interesting 2009. He made his England Test debut, had Lily Allen publicly declare her affections for him, and was termed a “legend” by his captain Andrew Strauss. Yet in many ways his form mirrored that of England: he enjoyed some highs but also had to endure his fair share of lows. The former included taking 10 wickets at 30 to help win the Ashes and blocking out South Africa to earn thrilling draws on two occasions. On the other hand, being dropped in the final tests against both Australia and South Africa was a major disappointment and proof that, despite a very positive start to his England career, he has not yet secured his place in the side.

Onions seems an unassuming character, not someone to revel in the media spotlight, and his answers to questions about his career are refreshingly modest. This modesty might perhaps be the reason he has been dropped from the England team on more than one occasion; he doesn’t have the flair and pizzazz of other players, and thus it is perhaps possible to overlook his efforts. Nevertheless an average of a touch over 30 after eight tests, six of which have been against South Africa and Australia, is very impressive.

I feel we are a real force in the world of cricket. We have a real good chance of beating the Aussies.

I ask how he felt about being dropped for the final test in South Africa: “I have to say, I was slightly surprised, more disappointed to be fair. I felt I had been bowling well and putting the top order batters under pressure without picking up the wickets.” His thoughts are in line with many pundits, who felt the amount of wickets he had taken did not correlate with how well he had been bowling. He delivered probing spells and the pressure he built up allowed others to reap the rewards.

Something else that perhaps held Onions back is England’s four-man attack. In recent years, England have favoured four seamers and a spinner, but without the talismanic Freddie Flintoff the plans have changed. There is now one less place for a seam bowler and that has certainly contributed to the pressure on England’s pace bowlers. Onions appears to feel that he should be one of four seamers in the side: “Having three other seamers with you takes off the load and if you’re bowling well in partnerships there’s no respite for the batters.” However, the question of how Andy Flower could accommodate four pace bowlers and a competitive batting line-up has probably been troubling the England coach since Flintoff’s retirement.

Despite being dropped for the final – and unsuccessful – test match in South Africa, Onions looks back on the tour with fond memories: “I thought I bowled well and on the occasion held my end up with the bat!” Holding his end up with the bat is more than an understatement as it was Onions who thrillingly twice secured draws with his defiant blocking. Nicknamed “Bunny” by his teammates – more because of the fact that his name rhymes with bunions than an inability to hold a bat – his heroics at Centurion and Johannesburg became the stuff of legend. Yet of course his batting was not the reason he was selected and, fortunately for him, he believes his bowling came on during the tour as well: “It was a great tour and I felt I really progressed as England’s opening bowler.”

I suggested that perhaps the two draws were telling of England’s luck, and not grit, but Onions was swift to suggest otherwise. The plucky number 11 put England’s ability to escape down to “the determination of the side….all the hard work we put in definitely paid off, even if it was a little tight toward the end.” It’s never ideal to see the number 11 saving a game for a side but it’s positive for everybody connected with England to hear talk of “the determination of the side”, something that has been evident under the Strauss/Flower partnership.

ONIONS’ ENGLAND CAREER
September 2006 – Selected for England One Day International squad to face Pakistan but does not play in any fixtures.

May 2009 – Makes his Test debut against the West Indies at Lords. Takes impressive figures of 5 for 38.

Summer 2009 – Selected for Ashes campaign and plays key role in England’s victory, most noticeably taking three wickets in the first innings at Lords.

Winter 2009 – Hero for England in South Africa with two thrilling last man stands at the crease. Controversially dropped for the final test.

Despite his positive first year in the whites of England, he is yet to find true success in the coloured kit. He has played only four games in the shortened version of the game, with limited success. Ironically, following his performance with the bat in South Africa, he has generally lost out to bowlers whose batting offers more, such as Tim Bresnan or – currently with the squad in Pakistan – his teammate Liam Plunkett. It might be that Onions, like Matthew Hoggard before him, is never given a genuine chance to shine in One Day Internationals, but his bustling wicket to wicket deliveries would prove a constant threat throughout the middle overs. However, it seems for now, Onions is not in England’s ODI plans, something he will surely seek to rectify.

It was clear when England laboured to a humiliating one day defeat to Australia following the Ashes that burnout was becoming a bit of an issue, and, when Ryan Sidebottom was preferred to Onions in Johannesburg, one of the reasons cited was the need for “fresh legs”. What does Onions think about the new squad rotation policy, specifically with regard to his role in Bangladesh without Jimmy Anderson in the attack? “There is a lot of cricket played, although I feel the more I bowl the better rhythm I have….so I’m happier playing every game and without Jimmy there I’ll be pushing hard.”

Typically Onions put a positive slant on cricketers’ workload, focusing instead on how it improves his game, and he will be looking to lead the attack in Anderson’s absence in Bangladesh.

While he shows hints of ambition in his responses, his answer to the question of his hopes for 2010-2011 sums up his humility and determination: “Working hard to become a senior bowler in the side and obviously be very successful. There’s loads of cricket on, so really success in the next match is my priority.” While taking one match at a time is a sporting cliché, it has to be considered a good philosophy from a young man starting out on an international career.

With Ashes success already, Graham Onions has had a thrilling first year in international cricket. Crucially, he is far from finished: “It’s certainly a goal of mine (to get near Matthew Hoggard’s wicket haul). Matthew has an incredible record and to be that successful is a real dream of mine. It’s a long way away but I’m working hard on my game to be that successful.”

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